Degradation Studies of Selected Bisphenols in the Presence of β-Cyclodextrin and/or Duckweed Water Plant

Abstract

Background: This research reports a multivariate experiment enabling observation of the potential application of macrocyclic compound [β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)] and/or duckweed organisms as the active factors for elimination of selected bisphenols A, B, and S from water samples.

Objective: Target bisphenols selection was based on observation that such components can be present in food or environmental samples (e.g., vegetable/fruit juices, milk, drinking water, or treated wastewater).

Methods: Biological research was carried out using aquatic organisms containing chlorophyll, particularly duckweed (Lemna minor L), that may work as an active biomass for the elimination or extraction of bisphenols micropollutants from water. Using such a system, we studied the potential encapsulation effect and removal efficiency of nontoxic macrocyclic oligosaccharide (β-cyclodextrin) acting as an encapsulation reagent to promote the removal of selected bisphenols from liquid phase both with and without the presence of duckweed biomass.

Results: Experimental data have revealed that β-CD or combined β-CD/duckweed system has an effect on bisphenols elimination from water. The initial data set obtained from this preliminary experiment (and combined with supramolecular complex formation data calculated from chromatographic experiments, published previously) enables designing of further experiments focusing on the development of green chemistry technology.

Conclusions: It is hoped that this may be used for the efficient removal of low-molecular-mass micropollutants using classical technological wastewater treatment processes modified by biomass and macrocyclic additives. This process needs to be optimized, but the results presented have revealed that such green chemistry technology, if successful, may be an interesting alternative for the selective removal of the micropollutants investigated from wastewater using classical adsorbents (e.g., carbons and carbon-related nanomaterials), particularly in terms of the worldwide problem with microplastic pollutants in the environment and food products.